A Greek research center is offering to share the security knowledge it gleaned from the Athens Games to help ensure there are no upsets in Beijing next year.

According to Leonidas Evangelidis, CEO of the Center for Security Studies at the Greek Ministry of Public Order, the Torch Relay and marathon were the most challenging events in terms of security management at the Athens Games.

KEMEA, as it is also known, is a scientific, research and consulting agency. Set up in October 2005, it specializes in providing security-related information to large sporting events.

KEMEA started working with BOCOG, the organizers of the 2008 Beijing Games, immediately after the group was founded. Last year, it sent several delegations to China to make "security concept" presentations drawing on its expertise.

"BOCOG is very grateful and happy to receive so much knowledge from KEMEA," Evangelidis said.

He suggested that BOCOG provide security training to volunteers as well as to the general public. He explained the importance of  this by giving the example of a bus driver who helped foil a kidnapping plot shortly after the Athens Games ended.

"An Albanian kidnapped a bus in Athens a few days after the Games. The bus driver, who had been trained before the Games for similar situations, grabbed the keys and threw them away, so the bus could go nowhere. That's how the police could easily control the kidnapping, and after 12 hours, the kidnapper gave up," Evangelidis said.